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Monday, August 22, 2011

THE VERY FINAL SUMMER MOVIE CAVE TRIVIA QUESTION WILL APPEAR ON MY TWITTER THIS FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 2011 AT 2PM PDT (5PM EDT). PLEASE NOTE THE BELOW RULES FOR THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION.

You guys, if nothing else, this has been a lot of fun.

This was a long Summer - a looooooooooooooooooong Summer - but not one as laborious and dreary as I'd originally predicted. On one hand, I managed to keep my niece alive for an entire three months, an accomplishment that, if you know me, was surely not a guarantee at the outset.

On another hand, I managed to get through a lot of my own work whilst caring for said infant. Though at times my comfy little dwelling did indeed begin to feel cave-like, I never went insane (any more than I already am)! This is to be applauded.

And on someone else's hand...I DID get out to see movies this Summer. Man, did I ever. Once we chucked the kid out I went on a filmic bender that I'm still just weaning myself off of. It feels good.

But if you want to know the truth, my favorite part of the Summer was the Summer Movie Cave.

Mostly, it was just a once-weekly trivia question that took place on my Twitter account and resulted in someone getting a movie or two (or several) shipped to their residence in an extremely untimely fashion - apologies again for being so patently terrible at getting to the post office. Writing out address labels just BLOWS, frankly. And don't get me started on my local postal workers. Where was I?

Right - but I digress. This Summer, I got to feel like I was killing two birds with one stone. Part one of that was entirely me making sure a few of you got to see/own some cool shit to make up karmically for the fact that I wasn't able to venture out to the cinema as much as I wanted to/used to. And it's funny - the more people came along for the Summer Movie Cave stuff, the more many of them actively engaged me in discussion about an array of different films. Which is all I could have hoped for, and it made me feel less like I existed in a pool of drying cement these past few months.

Part two is because of this: I spent 28 years of my life on the outside looking in on the world of making movies. As I was growing up, it seemed very simple to me: I went to a movie and I either liked it or I didn't. If I did, I just smiled the whole way home and then thought about the experience over and over and over until the NEXT time I went to the movies. And if I didn't like it, I usually wondered why. Sometimes, "That was just STUPID," was enough, but more often than not I found myself - even if just subconsciously - tinkering mentally with what might have made it better, or more interesting, or funnier, or...well, it was very upsetting occasionally.

But no matter whether I was entranced or upset, the connective tissue was always the same: man, I want to do that someday.

Well, half of you did or do that too, so you know what I'm talking about. I think a fair share of us have spent enough time laying in bed looking up at the ceiling and thinking about what we would do if WE could make movies.

And then all of a sudden things changed for me, and for the last three years, I'm on the inside looking out. And it's weird, because you're taught not to wish for something because you just might get it, implying that "it" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Well, with a very few frustrating exceptions...I'm having a ball. I'm going out of my way to make my now-profession exactly what I want it to be. And it's better than any dream I ever had about it, because - warts and all - it's real.

And so, for lack of a better term, this has been one big, giant "Thank You". Not just to the people who've participated in the game or sent emails and Twitters or who helped get the word out there along the way, but just to movie lovers in general. I'm in the fortunate and absurdly awesome position I'm in right now because people love movies, and almost always to levels and for reasons they can't totally understand. And you know what's wrong with that? Nothing. And sometimes, it makes sense to reward obsession for obsession's sake, and if I can give back to that just a teensy bit and have a good time in the process...well, fuck yes that's what I'm going to do.

So thanks for being movie fans. Thanks for helping me get to where I am. And thanks for playing along.

And with that, this week, we'll be giving away all of the following to ONE person only:

That's right: be the first to nail the trivia question at the end of this week and you get an X-MEN Trilogy on Blu-ray, a SUPERMAN Anthology on Blu-ray, a LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy: Extended Edition on Blu-ray and a LOST: THE COMPLETE SERIES on Blu-ray. Why? Because why not, goddamnit? Stop asking questions and LIVE, man.

Now the downer note: if you were one of the previous winners of ANY of these four titles (both Blu-ray and DVD, in some cases), I'm sorry, but you're ineligible for the Final. Gotta even things out, you know?

Also, this contest is going to work just a LITTLE differently for no real reason other than that I want you all to scramble a bit. Just a bit.

1. The trivia question will contain two answers. One will be an actor or actress; the other will be a film in which they appeared.

2. To answer the question correctly, you must name the actor or actress AND you must name the film in question AND you must provide a picture of (or a link to) the BLU-RAY COVER ART for said film in question AND you must use the #SUMMERMOVIECAVE hashtag. All in one Tweet.

3. Good luck.

Seriously, you guys have helped make this Summer a hell of a lot of fun for me, and that's way better than the veritable Hell I was expecting. Hope your was just as good, and again, thanks for playing along.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

I am not going to lie: the last few weeks have been rough. A little in a good way (work, and that I have it to do) and a little in a bad way, (fuck you, strep throat!). Basically, I've been annihilated, but I know you don't care, so I'm going to make this short. And then next week, our last Summer Movie Cave week, I'm going to write you a big, wet kiss goodbye and blow your fucking minds.

And luckily, this week's prize really needs no introduction. What's said about the movies has been said. What's written has been written. There's nothing I can add...except that I'm giving away two of these:

Don't call it a comeback.

That's right: this week, I'm giving away two copies of THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY: EXTENDED EDITION. If just having the theatrical releases on Blu-ray ain't good enough, by dammit, this had better be.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION WILL APPEAR ON MY TWITTER AT 1PM PDT (4PM EDT) THIS FRIDAY 5 AUGUST 2011.

First of all, I am sorry for going away for so long; I know there are tens of you that were shaken to the depths of your mortal coil by the Cave's absence. The good news is: I'm now back! But I'm going to keep this short as hell as I'm rather busy and really, really, really fucking important.

I've given away a very cool TV-related prize already and I decided there was room for one more before I blow the doors off this shit with the last two movie prizes of the Summer. However, that don't mean this week's prize is no slouch, and I have a feeling that a hell of a lot of you are going to be pushing and shoving (Internetally speaking) to get your hands on this.

This week, the Summer Movie Cave is spitting out TWO copies of the PARTY DOWN Complete Series on DVD.

Simply put, this is one of the greatest TV shows ever, and I mean that sincerely. It was a passion project for everyone involved, from the writers to the cast to the producers and on and on and on. They generally didn't get much notice for it and had to produce it on a shoestring budget, and isn't it always under those conditions that the best stuff springs from? In any event, it was note-perfect in writing and performance, and saying that it's one of my favorites is a hideous understatement.

If you're not a fan of the show, talk to someone who is and watch them go red in the face trying to explain their excitement for it. If you're already a fan of the show, I'll expect to see you front and center on Twitter this Friday.

Next week we come back even bigger, and the week after that, for the final giveaway of the Summer...well, shit. You're just not going to believe THAT one.

Shit About This Shit

Alleged screenwriter of such box office heavyweights as GOING THE DISTANCE and GO FUCK YOURSELF FOR NOT SEEING GOING THE DISTANCE. Giver of things. Very small hands nearly incapable of giving, making all the giving that much more amazing.